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In the midst of the main event match at SummerSlam, Daniel Bryan found himself in an unfamiliar territory. You may wonder, what can possibly be unfamiliar to someone who has been in this business for nearly 15 years? Daniel Bryan has traveled all over the world, wrestling in front of crowds ranging from 50 to 50, 000. But at SummerSlam this year, the reality started sinking in for the tenacious wrestling machine. Daniel Bryan wasn’t the same performer he was in the past 15 years. SummerSlam was the PPV that changed his fortunes, and 2013 redefined the American Dragon.
Growing up, Daniel Bryan wasn’t exactly “made” for professional wrestling. When William Regal took Bryan Danielson under his wing, he could see that Daniel was gifted. Regal, with all his experience and wealth of knowledge could notice talent from a distance, and when Bryan Danielson started showing his true potential, Regal and later Shawn Michaels knew that he was going to make a name for himself in the wrestling business. And then, the journey of Bryan Danielson took him to places he could have only dreamt of, wrestling in the United Kingdom, Japan and every other place imaginable. But in 2013, all of that changed. During his match with John Cena, Daniel Bryan felt the transformation. All the “Yes!” chants from the crowd made him realize that he wasn’t an “Indy darling” anymore, neither was he yet another mid card talent in the WWE.
Summer this year began like any other, as the WWE was coming off yet another successful WrestleMania season. John Cena was once again the face of the organization, winning the WWE title from The Rock, thus cementing himself at the helm, while CM Punk was ready to face Brock Lesnar, in what was seen as the feud of the summer. As the WWE started looking for opponents for John Cena leading up to SummerSlam, the WWE Universe started getting restless, incessantly chanting “Yes!” on every WWE show, in every WWE arena. The fans made up their mind about who Cena’s next opponent was. The fans wanted to see Daniel Bryan, who found his second wind during the WrestleMania season, and was on fire as he became the next big challenge for John Cena. Although the WWE think tank worked rigorously in trying to change the fans’ minds, that didn’t happen. With John Cena needing a surgery, the WWE ran out of options, and Daniel Bryan’s fate was set in stone.
At SummerSlam, the fans rallied behind Daniel Bryan. Every voice in the arena echoed “Let’s go Bryan”, and with every “Yay” for a kick that connected to Cena’s chest, Daniel Bryan felt a surge going through his body. As a 6 year old, Bryan Danielson watched his favorite superstars fighting for the prestigious WWE title. The Bret Harts, the Shawn Michaels’ and the Randy Savages were some of the biggest names that Bryan Danielson cheered for while growing up, and here he was, at one of the biggest PPVs of the year, wrestling the biggest name in the WWE for the richest prize in the business. On that night, Daniel Bryan made it, and when Daniel Bryan felt his knees connecting with Cena’s skull, he knew that his time had come. The era of the Dragon was upon us, and when Triple H’s hand hit the mat for the third time, the reality came crashing down on Daniel Bryan. His name would now be etched along with the names of Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, Bret Hart and the likes. He was now a WWE champion!
2013 hasn’t been a great year in professional wrestling. From the deaths of Paul Bearer and Matt Borne to the abysmal storylines in wrestling promotions, the fans had very little to cheer for. The biggest success story of the year however, goes to Bryan Danielson. Not only did he realize his dream of winning the WWE championship (Although the storyline was demolished thanks to the egos of certain people), but he also cemented himself as one of the “top guys” in the biggest global entertainment organization in the world. Looking back, Bryan Danielson wouldn’t have even imagined all of this during his stay in Ring of Honor, wrestling in front of a meager 50 people.
As the year comes to an end, there is no doubt that 2013 redefined the career of one Daniel Bryan, and if the year belonged to any one individual in professional wrestling, it would be him. Will Bryan win the Royal Rumble in 2014 and continue his hot streak? That’s something that only Father Time can answer, but it won’t surprise a lot of people if it comes true.
